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Citizenship · Sentence Comprehension

In the sentence 'Why do we pay taxes?', the sentence is asking about:

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Correct answer

A reason for paying taxes

  1. A A place where taxes are paid
  2. B The amount of taxes
  3. C A person who pays taxes
  4. D A reason for paying taxes

Why this is the answer

In the reading sentence 'Why do we pay taxes?', the question word 'Why' indicates the sentence is asking about a reason. The USCIS reading test combines question words, civics vocabulary (like 'taxes' and 'pay'), and verbs into short, readable sentences. Comprehending what the sentence asks — here, the reason for paying taxes — demonstrates the reading understanding the test measures. 'Why' always points to a reason or cause, just as 'Where' points to a place and 'When' to a time. Recognizing the sentence's meaning is part of the sentence-comprehension skill.
Source: USCIS Reading Test — Sentence Comprehension

Practice more questions

This question is from our US Citizenship Test Practice practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Sentence Comprehension and other topics.

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About this topic: Sentence Comprehension

Sentence comprehension questions present full sentences in the style of the real test and ask what they mean or which word completes them, so you are reading for sense and not only sounding out words. This is one of 8 Reading Vocabulary questions on sentence comprehension, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our Citizenship exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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